1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to dispensers for flat products. It is applicable in particular to the dispensing of postal packets of different types such as packing cartons of different formats supplied folded flat and padded envelopes of different formats. It is equally applicable to the dispensing of other types of flat products, such as gramophone records, for example, or magazines and/or newspapers and/or books supplied individually under a supporting tape or film.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Dispensers of this kind are designed to be installed in places where they can be used by the public. They deliver automatically one or more products selected from those stored within them against payment for the selected products.
A dispenser of this type is known from French patent application No. 85 02673. This dispenser is in the form of a cabinet closed at the front by a door. A product receiving basket is mounted in the door to deliver the selected product to the user.
Inside the cabinet, on horizontal shelves, are a plurality of storage magazines for the products, stacked by category. The magazines are arranged to form at least one column; in said at least one column there is a gap between them to provide access for a product holding device disposed at the top of the stack. This device forms part of a product extraction and dispensing mechanism mounted in the cabinet and essentially comprising a vertical carriage and a horizontal carriage. The vertical carriage extends horizontally across the set of magazines. The horizontal carriage is mounted on a guide carried by the vertical carriage and and is movable transversely between the magazines and the door of the dispenser, tipping towards the door at the end of its travel. The holding device is mounted on the horizontal carriage and, by appropriate displacement of the carriages, is brought above a required one of the stacks and then picks the product from the top of that stack, after which it is moved over the product receiving basket and then releases the product it has picked up.
The extraction and dispensing mechanism of this known dispenser can further comprise a third or longitudinal carriage mounted to move longitudinally on the vertical carriage and coupling the horizontal carriage to the vertical carriage. This longitudinal carriage makes it possible to move the holding device across different columns of product storage magazines or across double magazines belonging to the same column.
This product extraction and dispensing mechanism is complex, costly and bulky and necessitates means for controlling the position of the holding device and for controlling the carriages which are difficult to implement in a satisfactory way, in particular because of vibration produced by the various parts of the product extraction and dispensing mechanism.
An object of the present invention is to provide a product dispenser of simpler design avoiding the aforementioned disadvantages and offering more reliable operation.